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OAN’s Brooke Mallory
4:52 PM – Friday, May 3, 2024
In the 32-minute-26-second interview with popular commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, One America News host Dan Ball spoke on a number of topics.
Ball discusses how he got his start in the news sector, the attempted attacks on One America News by Democrat politicians like Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) as well as others, and his own belief that more Americans are waking up to the influence and one-sided narrative presented by mainstream news outlets.
Carlson begins by highlighting the First Amendment. He references how the U.S. government cannot censor news or make laws in order to stop journalists from expressing certain stories or opinions.
Carlson: “It’s in the text… It’s the whole point of America… Yet, Democrats are still working to shut down news organizations all throughout the U.S.”
After the two men sit down and shake hands, Carlson and Ball immediately dive into how there’s been a number of attempts to permanently shut down One America News, with Democrat politicians and other detractors citing “disinformation.”
However, when left-wing news outlets are caught spreading disinformation, like, for example, false claims regarding how “the Hunter Biden laptop story is Russian disinformation,” COVID-19 vaccines “stop transmission of the virus and are 100% safe and effective,” or even “The Trump Campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election,” most bat an eye and do not expect any sort of apology or public retractions.
In the interview, Tucker says that Intel agencies made the phrase “disinformation” popular in the world of media. He goes on to insinuate that these agents utilize that term in order to negatively label news they do not like, while silencing those who spread it.
Historically, In 1923, Joseph Stalin of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union coined the term “desinformatsiya,” which means “disinformation” when translated from Russian to English. The term had described KGB Black propaganda at the time, according to HistoryofInformation.com.
Ball points out how California Governor Gavin Newsom has consistently tried to “come for OAN” after the network first questioned if the COVID-19 vaccines are actually as safe and effective as what Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and federal institutions claimed for years.
“The platforms of concern, of course… Those that are propaganda machines… [include] One America News…perhaps one of the greatest disinformation networks in America,” Newsom said in a conference previously.
Carlson: “There’s a guy [Newsom] who lies for a living, calling OAN untrustworthy.”
Both hosts laugh.
Carlson and Ball then note that during the COVID era, Newsom had basically shut down the state of California. However, during this time frame, the governor was also caught discreetly venturing out to dine at The French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley. Photographs were taken that showed the governor not wearing a mask, while sitting alongside a group of people. This was seen as incredibly hypocritical at the time, as Newsom was one of the most vocal critics of Californians who did not want to wear a mask and those who were against the lockdown.
Carlson: “Politicians don’t want voters to know that they’re incompetent, so they shut down anyone who tells the truth about them, or who spreads a message they don’t care for… It’s abuse of power.”
Carlson then goes into explaining the U.S. Bill of Rights, and he says that the U.S. made these sort of silencing efforts “illegal.”
Nevertheless, “it’s now being ignored…” he states.
Ball later highlights how House Democrats are putting pressure on cable companies to sever ties with OAN and other conservative news outlets that “make them look bad.”
Carlson: “How are government officials trying to shut down your news organization?”
Ball: “Going back to 2020, the Hunter Biden laptop… OAN was one of the first to break that, say that it was legit… In August, we broke that story before the election.”
The New York Post also previously posted an article that mentioned the controversial laptop in October of the same year.
During this time, left-wing mainstream news outlets had consistently stated that the Hunter Biden laptop story was “Russian disinformation.”
“Dozens of former intelligence officials have said the story has the hallmarks of a Russian intelligence operation,” NBC News reported on October 30th, 2020. The article is still up and online.
Ball: “We were called purveyors of disinformation by every mainstream media outlet… We were called ‘Russian propagandists’… People online even said we were owned by Putin.”
Then, Ball explains that the OAN CEO is Robert Herring Sr., whom he describes as a “sweet, 82-year-old, hard-working man” from Louisiana who started from the bottom and got to where he is through determination. Ball also mentions that Herring’s two sons equally help out at the station alongside him as well.
That is who controls OAN: “NOT Trump, NOT Putin…” Ball says.
Soon after, Ball again highlights the slew of false media narratives surrounding COVID-19. OAN previously reported on the vaccine’s side effects and questioned whether Fauci’s assertions could be faulty or misleading in any way.
Ball explains that OAN’s COVID message simply revolved around the idea that no person should be forced to take an experimental vaccine that was made in less than a year, and one that does not work like normal vaccines, which typically require just one shot.
During the same time, Chris Hayes of MSNBC asked in a television segment how the U.S. could get “more people on board” with the COVID-19 vaccine. The network even brought Fauci in, in order to hear an expert’s take on the matter.
“If you get vaccinated, you are protected… We know that as a fact,” Fauci said at the time. “Yet some people are not getting vaccinated. That is very frustrating…” he continued.
“If you’re vaccinated, you don’t have a risk,” Fauci added in the MSNBC segment.
Ball brings up how popular liberal news and media hosts like “Rachel Maddow” had also previously asserted that anyone who received the COVID-19 vaccine would be “safe” from the virus. However, now we know that was simply untrue, as many vaccinated and boosted Americans have contracted the virus even after obediently following the advice of these media personalities and Fauci himself.
Carlson rhetorically asks Ball why Maddow never had to apologize for her false claims.
He also later touches on how whenever OAN had covered stories related to COVID-19, the Hunter laptop, how COVID masks weren’t helping people stay healthy, or irregularities in the election process, “they didn’t like any of that,” and the censorship began.
Ball explains that YouTube began demonetizing OAN, and that the video platform even tried to take down the company Youtube account altogether. Ball says that “four Democrat senators and two California Democrat Congress members” who are critics of the network sent a number of letters to all major satellite and cable carriers, as well as to advertisers who supported these carriers.
“Fox, Newsmax, and OAN,” were the networks named in the letter, Ball says. “Now, who’s the smallest on that list? We are…” He continues.
He states that after this occurred, advertisers and carriers were “scared off.”
Ball: “Months later, we’re kicked off platforms, we’re demonetized on social media, our major accounts are shadowbanned or censored… This is what’s been going on since 2020.”
Carlson: “It’s illegal… It’s illegal for members of Congress to shut down a news organization because they don’t like what it said.”
Carlson then switches topic and asks Ball about his long-standing career working in the news world and what inspired him to break out into that industry. Dan smiles and says that it started out with a desire to “help people.”
“[Speaking of OAN] Here’s a place where I can tell the truth,” Ball continues. “I really embraced that.”
“They want to shut down a family-owned, mom-and-pop network.”
Ball also explains other tactics used by certain groups, politicians, and individuals who try to silence One America News.
Ball: “Another way they’ve tried to silence us is through lawsuits.”
However, Tucker abruptly interrupts and makes an excellent point that circles back to the First Amendment.
Carlson: “The First Amendment doesn’t matter if no one can hear you,”
Ball then informs Carlson how fans and viewers of One America News can still download the OAN app “OAN LIVE” and that the network still provides online streaming. He recalls how the CEO still kept strong throughout the frustrating process, declaring that his network has a “right to broadcast.”
Carlson continues to express confusion as to why left-leaning networks seem to not face any real backlash or scolding from public figures, institutions, or politicians after reporting falsehoods or misleading information.
Carlson: “Eight years of non-stop lying by the Daily Beast and Rolling Stone and CNN and MSNBC… like life and death things.”
The two hosts then later highlight the phrase “my body, my choice” in reference to women who are pro-abortion, also known as “pro-choice.” Ball and Carlson express the hypocrisy of those on the left who refuse to accept the same “my body, my choice” argument in regards to individuals choosing not to take the COVID vaccine. Tucker continues to comment on the “irony” of this sort of double standard.
Carlson: “Government is not allowed to shut down news organizations because they don’t like what they say.”
Dan expresses optimism in regards to his belief that more Americans are starting to “wake up” and see through the façade that is “mainstream news.” He also voices his appreciation for Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now known as X) and how the newly-branded platform and Musk’s purchase of the website have allowed for freedom of speech and First Amendment rights to be upheld, at least in comparison to the old Twitter.
Later on, Ball continues, explaining how left-wing outlets previously portrayed that the southern border was not an issue, up until recently, when polls showed that more than half of Americans will consider the topic when voting in the 2024 election. Meanwhile, OAN has always reported on the nitty-gritty issues occurring at the border, even if it makes U.S. politicians or higher-ups in federal agencies look “bad.”
After that, Ball begins discussing the future of media and how “more of it will shift to online streaming.” He congratulates Carlson for being at the “cutting edge” of the online news and political commentary circuit. Carlson responds by modestly claiming he is “hardly at the leading edge of anything.”
Carlson begins to conclude the interview.
Ball reiterates that he thinks the network will ultimately prevail over its aggressors and the elites who wish to bring down OAN, calling the CEO, Mr. Herring, “one hell of a fighter.”
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